[quote=Scarlett]I am not labeling anything, but driving through neighborhoods, at different times does give one a feeling if he would like it there. It is a perception, right? It may or may not be right. you can’t know it intimate until you live in it some.[/quote]
Scarlett, you CAN get out and park and walk and visit your prospective buying area day and night and esp. Fri/Sat. nights to get a better “feel” for it, as you may be doing now. You can also plant yourself there at the time you leave for work in the morning and drive yourself to work to gauge the time it takes.
If your kids came home from school in their new neighborhood happy and were meeting new friends, would you remove them from that school because YOU didn’t like it? Are you sure you’re not discounting schools because of YOUR perception? After all, it is elem. school we’re talking about here, right?
My comments were posted on *your* thread but not directed to YOU, in particular. I was using the $500K as an example b/c that was your price range.
I guess I’m a little out of touch because when I was young and raising kids, I don’t recall my generation as being that “picky” about neighborhoods and such and MR wasn’t even an issue then. I’m getting a feel from this Board that many Piggs in the market to buy right now or that have recently purchased are a younger demographic that are college-educated (only 34% of people in my age group have a college degree and I am NOT among them). Most of these posters seemed OBSESSED with finding a “pristine” or “flawless” environment for their kids to grow up in and there really IS NONE. When their kids actually go to work after living their lives in their parent’s well-chosen “cloistered, gated HOA bedroom,” how will they “deal” with the “grit and disappointments” of the “real world?”
I think you and your spouse made a very wise move by getting out of your condo in RB when you did. You could be deeply underwater by now and stuck, trying to renegotiate your loan(s) or listing it for a “short-sale.”
I’m with you about Tierrasanta and San Carlos. They are too far away from your employers. In addition, TS schools are full of “transient students,” reflective of one of the largest military housing complexes in the country situated there, plus another large mil. complex, just across the fwy. Henry High and Green Elem. in SC and Grossmont High in Fletcher Hills are good schools but the well-built homes there near Cowles Mtn. and adjacent FH probably exceed your price range. Lemon Elem. at the foot of Mt. Helix is also a good school. HOWEVER, the homes surrounding it are quite old and for the most part need a lot of work (some are on septic). IMO, the construction in Clairemont is far superior to TS and half of SC and the climate is also cooler.
Scarlett, I know you can find something in 92110, 92111, 92117, 92121 or 92122 that meets your needs if you are patient and are not afraid of a little work (that doesn’t have to be done all at once).
As has been posted earlier on this thread, there’s nothing wrong with renting in an area you’re interested in first to see how *you* and *your family* like it. Why don’t you scout some private (not REO) listings to see if there are any seniors willing to give you a lease/option because they don’t feel they can presently compete with REOs? Have your agent check withdrawn listings for you. Just an idea.
